Pulmonary hypertension induced by amosite asbestos: a physiological and morphologic study in the guinea pig

Although there is increasing evidence that mineral dust exposure will produce obstructive lung disease, there is little information on the effects of mineral dust on the pulmonary vascular system. To examine whether exposure to amosite asbestos would affect the pulmonary vasculature and produce pulmonary hypertension, we instilled 5 mg amosite asbestor intratracheally into guinea pigs. After periods of 3 and 6 months, we examined their pulmonary and pulmonary vascular function, and compared these data to those obtained from groups of control animals. We found that, at both time periods, there was pulmonary arterial hypertension, with alteration of the vascular pressure-flow relationships. This was accompanied by abnormalities in the structure of the small pulmonary arterioles. The animals also showed airflow obstruction, with air trapping and an upward shift of the pressure-volume curve. There was evidence of emphysema, and the animals were moderately hypoxic. We found no consistent increase in inflammatory cells either in lavage or peripheral blood, and the histamine dose-response curves were similar in control and asbestos-exposed animals at 6 months. We conclude that intratracheal instillation of asbestos in the guinea pig produces pulmonary hypertension associated with modest hypoxia, emphysema, and airflow obstruction. Whether pulmonary hypertension reflects emphysema-induced hypoxia and loss of vascular bed, or is related to the brief but intense inflammatory infiltrate induced by asbestos, is unclear.